Q&A with Glenn Paton, dir. of H Positive at Clermont 2016

"If money was no object, would you manipulate euthanasia so that you could die on your own terms?" Glenn Paton’s visually impressive H Positive is screening at Clermont-Ferrand 2016.

Where did the idea come from?

I went to an art exhibition and I saw a small A2 image of a roller coaster called ’the death coaster’ created by Julijonas Urbonas.
I thought that it would be a great starting point for a short film so I wrote up the idea, put a treatment and storyboards together that relayed the idea. I then asked for Julijonas’ permission to use his roller coaster and the rest is history...

I’m aware you initiated a kickstarter campaign. How did that go? What was the process of making the film like?

It’s a hard task but the beauty and the beast of it is that if you don’t raise the exact money needed, you don’t get a penny.
It was a long process and required a lot of social media PR from myself but due to the kind support and donations from everyone, I got to the £20,000 needed.
An Academy Award nominee director also saw the pitch film online and put in a considerable amount because he believed in the idea.

What were the biggest hurdles?

I think the biggest hurdle was raising the £20,000 in the first place. That’s a lot of money and the idea was far more ambitious than the money needed.

Could you tell us a bit more about how the crew came together?

I’ve produced quite a few TV commercials and worked with amazing talent. It was these talented individuals that I spoke to when I had the idea for H Positive.
They liked the idea and were prepared to work for free to get this project over the line - which I’m beyond grateful for.

Can you tell us a bit about your background in film?

I’m currently the Head Of Film at an Advertising Agency called Grey London and directing has always been a hobby.
H Positive has given me the confidence to try and direct some more ideas I’ve had so i’m currently pitching on music videos and writing a feature screenplay.

Would you be keen on directing other shorts and/or considering features?

Yes. I just need someone to give me a chance and take the leap of faith with me.

Any future projects you’d like to share with us? Any ideas you’d like to develop or genres you’d like to try out?

I’m keen to explore all types of directing but having a good, provocative idea at its core is the key.

Any advice for budding filmmakers?

There is no other better time than now to get started.
Don’t be one of those people that says ’I want to be director’ because it’s funny that with time, ’I want’ becomes ’I wanted’.

Any "coups de coeur" on this year’s festival circuit (including Clermont)?